


Trapped

by prepare4trouble



Category: Red Dwarf (UK TV)
Genre: Claustrophobia, Gen, Kidnapping, Nyctophobia, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24775648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prepare4trouble/pseuds/prepare4trouble
Summary: Locked in a small cell by a GELF tribe, Lister and Rimmer wait for Cat and Kryten to return with something to trade for their freedom. That would be fine, only Lister doesn't do too well when he knows he can't get out...
Relationships: Dave Lister & Arnold Rimmer
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	Trapped

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a dialogue prompts meme on Tumblr. Prompt was "You're trembling"

“You’d think that if the local GELF tribe were going to go around holding people to ransom for no reason, they’d at least build a bigger cell to accommodate them,” Rimmer said.

Lister didn’t reply. He was busy trying to imagine that he was somewhere else. Literally anywhere else.

“I mean, there’s barely enough room to take three paces in any direction,” Rimmer added. “Just _look_ at that bench you’re sitting on. If we end up trapped here overnight it would be impossible to lay down on it without your legs hanging off the end.”

Lister took a deep breath. He knew the cell was small. He was actively trying to forget just _how_ small it was. Another thing that he was acutely aware of, was that there was nothing to light the room save for the small barred window near the top of one of the walls. As soon as the light outside started to fade, it was going to get very, very dark in the cell.

“I get the bench,” Rimmer said. “To sleep on, I mean, if it comes to that. You’ll have to sleep on the floor. As the highest ranking prisoner, I get the bed.”

Lister didn’t want to be here overnight. He _really_ didn’t want to be here overnight. He forced open his eyes and glanced at the window. The sky definitely looked darker than it had the last time he had checked. That didn’t necessarily mean anything, because he didn’t know how long the days were here, but the reminder that they were losing daylight was an unwelcome one.

He allowed himself a quick glance around the cell. Did it look darker than it had been the last time he had looked? He wasn’t sure.

“How long d’you think we’ve been here?” he asked. His mouth felt dry. Everywhere he looked, he was met by the sight of stone walls, and he could feel a familiar sense of rising panic. He slammed his eyes closed again and imagined he was on a beach. A long, sandy beach that stretched out for miles. He imagined the sun on his back, and the sound of the waves lapping at the shore, and…

“About three hours I think,” Rimmer said.

Smeg. “What’s taking them so long?” Lister said. In his imagination, seagulls floated on air currents above him, and he could smell fish and chips from the chippy on the promenade. The sky was that bright, unbroken blue that you only got once a year if you were lucky, and when he looked out to sea, he could see the horizon.

“How should I know?” Rimmer said. “I’m trapped here too, you know.”

Lister nodded. “Do me a favour?” he said. “Don’t say ‘trapped’, okay?”

“Why not?” Rimmer asked, oblivious. “We are. Until Kryten and the Cat get back with something to trade, we’re locked in this cell. The walls are made of stone, and the door is very solid wood, the only window is out of reach, and even if I switch back to soft light, my light bee can’t pass through, so the best I could do is stick my head out and look around. What would _you_ call it if not ‘trapped’?”

Lister ignored him.

“Imprisoned? Is that better?” Rimmer asked. He sounded genuinely baffled.

Lister shook his head. “Can we just talk about something else?” he tried.

“Like what?”

“I dunno. Anything.”

“Anything other than being trapped?”

“Smeg! Yes Rimmer, anything other than that.”

Rimmer sank into silence for a few moments, then sighed. “I mean, it’s really the only thing that’s happening right now. It’s not easy to think about anything else.”

Lister ignored him and went back to the beach. Or, he tried to. Suddenly, he couldn’t get back there. The walls followed him, and although he could imagine the sand beneath his feet and the gentle lap of the water against the shore, all he could see was four stone walls, no matter which way he turned.

“Lister?” said Rimmer.

Lister took a deep breath. “What?”

“You’re trembling.”

He dragged in another breath, a ragged gasp this time. He could feel the panic growing and expanding inside him, and if he let it, it was going to take over.

“Why are you… what’s going on?” Rimmer asked.

Lister shook his head. “Nothing’s going on. Shut up, Rimmer.”

For a moment, Rimmer did as he was asked.

The beach was completely gone now, the illusion shattered. Lister opened his eyes. It wasn’t his imagination, the cell was _definitely_ darker than the last time. The sun was going down. He wasn’t afraid of the dark, but the thought of the dark in combination with the tiny cell was unbearable.

He forced in another breath and dragged a hand across his damp brow.

“Right. Okay just… stop doing that,” Rimmer told him. “Trust me, it won’t help.”

Lister sucked in another breath as he turned to look at Rimmer in confusion.

Rimmer was standing very close to him with a nervous expression on his face. One hand moved to touch Lister, then hesitated and moved away again. “The breathing thing,” Rimmer told him. “Stop it.”

“You want me to,” Lister gasped for another breath, “stop breathing?”

Rimmer shook his head. “No, obviously not. Just… slow it down. You’re hyperventilating. You need to…” He sat down next to Lister on the bench and placed one hand on his shoulder. “Trust me, I’m an expert at this.”

Lister was starting to feel pins and needles prickling at his finger and toes. He looked at Rimmer again, tried to form a question but instead gasped for air. He felt like he was drowning.

“At panic attacks,” Rimmer explained. “Having them I mean, not… look, just breathe slowly. Stop gasping. Breathe out, slowly. Like this.” He exhaled loudly through pursed lips.

Lister tried his best to copy him, exhaling until his lungs were empty.

“Then in again. Slowly, deep breaths. I’ll count to five, okay, don’t stop breathing in until I finish. One… two…”

Lister did as he was told. And out again, and in. It was impossible to say how long it took, but slowly, the panic lifted. Slowly, he began to feel like himself again. When he could breathe normally, he lay down on the hard wooden bench, still trembling slightly. Rimmer sat on the floor next to him, one hand reaching up to remain in contact with Lister’s shoulder.

“Better?” Rimmer asked.

Lister nodded. “A bit, yeah. Thanks.”

“So what is it, claustrophobia?” asked Rimmer. “Or fear or the dark?”

“The first one,” Lister told him.

“Good,” said Rimmer.

Lister frowned. “How’s that good?”

“Oh, well it’s not really. It’s just the better of the two. With the rate the sun’s setting, it’ll probably be completely dark in half an hour. _Completely_ dark. This planet has no moon, and any light there is fro anywhere else, probably won’t make it in through that tiny window.” He paused and took a deep breath. “The dark’s getting worse, at least the room can’t get any smaller.” He paused. “Though I suppose when it gets dark it might _feel_ …” he stopped and shook his head. “Sorry.”

Lister glanced up at the window. The sky outside the tiny window had turned a dark, evening blue. Rimmer was right. He pulled up the front of his shirt and used it to mop down his face. He _really_ needed a drink of water. “You think they’ll get back before then?” he asked.

Rimmer hesitated, then glanced away. He cleared his throat and changed the subject. “It’s strange, you know,” he said “That’s never been one of mine. Claustrophobia, I mean. I’ve always liked small spaces. They always made me feel safe.” He paused and glanced around the cell. “I mean, not this one, obviously.”

Lister took another slow, deep breath. “Yeah, definitely not.”

Rimmer opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by the sound of a key turning in the lock. Light flooded into the cell, followed by the sound of Kryten speaking the guttural sounds of the GELF language.

“Hey, buds!” said Cat as he sauntered into the cell. “Mission accomplished, ransom paid. You would not _believe_ the crap these guys think is valuable. Now, let's get out of here before they decide someone else committed a crime. I’m looking so good today, that around here it’s probably illegal.”

“Well, they did get back before dark,” Lister said, unnecessarily.

Rimmer nodded. He got to his feet and shuddered. “Thank smeg for that. Or you’d have had to return the favour and talk _me_ through a panic attack.”

“Eh?” said Lister as he got to his feet.

“Small spaces don’t bother me, but I’m terrified of total darkness.” Rimmer explained.

Lister shook his head. “Great. that settles it. Next time we get kidnapped, imprisoned or otherwise trapped somewhere unpleasant, we’re paying for the upgraded accommodation,” he said. “Come on, let’s get the smeg out of here before they realise Cat traded us for useless junk and change their minds.”


End file.
